Namco’s
Tales series is an Action RPG franchise that started with Tales of Phantasia,
released in Japan in 1995. Since then, the series has become one of the most
popular RPGs in Japan, just behind Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. In America, the series is much more niche and obscure, with many titles being
skipped over completely and unreleased here. However, Namco seems to be
striving to change that fact, and we now have Tales of Xillia, released back in
August of 2013, and its sequel coming in the same month this year.
Story
One
of the biggest reasons the Tales series is loved is because their plots tended
to deconstruct typical J-RPG clichés. A few of the titles tackled issues that
were almost completely unseen in other RPGs. However, the stories seemed to
have taken a bit of a dip in quality after Tales of Vesperia. This particular
entry tries to break that trend, and for the most part, it succeeded.
At
the beginning of the game, you can choose between the two protagonists to play
as: Jude Mathis, a medical student, or Milla Maxwell, the lord of spirits. The
concept brings to mind the multiple story paths in Sonic Adventure or Sonic
Adventure 2, but in this game’s case, the stories don’t diverge as much as they
should.
The
plot begins with Jude at a medical university in the city of Fennmont. After he
goes looking for his professor, he ends up getting caught up in a series of
events that ends his meeting of Milla and the revelation that his home country’s
been experimenting with “spyrix”, technology that harms spirits and is a
metaphor to the pollution issues in real life. While the story starts and stays
strong throughout the game, it seems to end a bit abruptly. I’ve heard that it’s
because the game was rushed for the series’ anniversary, which explains a few
other missing series conventions. However, the story is still worth
experiencing at least once if you’re an RPG fan or a Tales fan.
The
game also has “skits”, which are a series staple. Skits are chats between your
party members, and serve to flesh out the characters, their world, or just
entertain the player. I find the skits all to be well done, and they’re a part
of the game that I always look forward to.
Gameplay
Like
most JRPGs, the gameplay is composed of two parts: the field map and the
battles. In the large fields, you’ll explore, find treasure, and generally go
to new locations to progress the plot. The problem with this game’s overworld
is that the field maps are a little too bland and generic. While somewhat
large, there are no real defining landmarks to make each area unique. As a
result, exploring these fields can become rather dull at times.
When
you touch an enemy on the field, you’re taken to the battle screen. Like other
games in the Tales series, the combat is a variant of the series’ “Linear
Motion Battle System”. Characters can move in two directions: forward towards
their enemy, or backwards, as if they were on a line. Holding down L2 will
allow your character to move freely to avoid attacks or re-position themselves
in a better spot.
Dealing
damage generally requires combos. Each character can use physical attacks, and
then chain those into “artes”. Each character is limited by their TP and AC;
all artes and regular attacks consume one AC each, while artes consume varying
amounts of TP. The combat system is rather fast paced and fun to play most of
the time. However, boss fights are much more annoying. Every boss has what’s
called an “Iron Stance”. This means that hitting them generally won’t stagger
or stun them, allowing them to attack and interrupt you with impunity.
Unlike
previous Tales games, your characters don’t gain stats or skills upon leveling
up. Instead, they gain a set amount of GP, which can be spent in the Lilium Orb.
The Lilium Orb is very similar to Final Fantasy X’s Sphere Grid, allowing you
to choose what stats to increase or what artes to learn. However, it lacks true
customization since each node is predefined; preventing you from building up
specific stats.
Sound/Music
The
game’s soundtrack is decent, though I don’t really remember many of the tracks
used. Not that many were memorable, unfortunately. However, the ones that I DO
remember really added to the atmosphere of the field exploration or battle. The
voice acting is very good as well, helping make the characters believable.
However, I think Milla’s voice in particular could use some work, as she sounds
a little dull at times. Other than that, the game’s voice department really
augments the already great story.
Length
Tales
of Xillia is by far one of the shorter entries in the series, clocking in at
around 30 hours to complete the main story. There are sidequests that can be
done, which will certainly add more hours in, but the game still feels shorter
and a little lacking compared to previous titles. The last bit of the game
certainly felt rushed. Overall, however, Tales of Xillia is still a decent
length, even if it’s not up to the series’ standard.
Verdict:
8.5/10
Tales
of Xillia is a game worth trying even if you’re not a fan of the series. As a
fan that got into the series with older entries like Tales of Symphonia and
Tales of the Abyss, I had the most fun with this game by far. The battle system
is definitely the highlight of the game, and the story is something worth
experiencing. Tales of Xillia is definitely worth a purchase.
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